"HOME IMPROVEMENT: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Tim Allen as TIM TAYLOR Patricia Richardson as JILL TAYLOR Jonathan Taylor Thomas as RANDY TAYLOR Zachery Ty Bryan as BRAD TAYLOR Tarn Noah Smith as MARK TAYLOR Richard Karn as AL Earl Hindeman as WILSON Debbe Dunning as HEIDI KEPPERT Rated TV-PG Studio: ABC Created by: Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean and Matt Williams Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I feel beaten down. That’s the only explanation for why I am actually growing quite fond of “Home Improvement.” Perhaps it’s like the Stockholm Syndrome. I’ve been held captive by five seasons of the show on DVD, it was bound to grow on me.
However, I’d like to think that I’ve got a stronger foundation than that. Sure, I might need professional therapy because I’m falling for the show, but deep down I believe there’s a better reason.
When I look at a new season on DVD, I usually go back to my previous reviews of that show to check out what I said. It’s not just me being diligent in my research. To be honest, I don’t want to repeat myself too much. Where’s the interest in that?
The read over my reviews of “Home Improvement” seasons one through four was interesting for sure. At first, I hated the show. Well, not so much hated the whole show, but hated many of the elements. I hated the politically correct nature of Jill’s character. I hated the overdone feminist overtones. I hated Wilson, the overly sensitive, male-lesbian next door neighbor.
But I liked a lot of things. I liked the slapstick. I liked Tim Allen’s stand-up moments. I liked the “Tool Time” show-within-a-show.
As I look at season five, I realize that many of the elements I didn’t like haven’t gone completely away, but they’ve softened quite a bit. After four years on the air, it seems that the writers had beaten us over the head with the “men are pigs” stories. They finally have started writing about Jill’s faults as well as Tim’s. Originally, whenever Jill had a problem it was because she was overworked because she had to take care of the kids and Tim. Now, she’s more human, and therefore, more likable.
Additionally, Wilson has been moved from the role of wise guru to wacky neighbor. Sure, he still dispenses pretentious advice to Tim (and now sometimes Jill) over the back fence, but there’s an acknowledgement that he is a bit odd. Wilson isn’t the perfect man, as he seemed to be portrayed in earlier seasons. Rather, he is an eccentric old guy with an incredible knowledge base but little social skills himself.
It took four years for the writers and producers of “Home Improvement” to stop using the show as a vehicle for social change and just let it be funny. However, I’m glad to say that in the fifth season, it hit a very comfortable stride.
There are, however, some problems. Now in its fifth season, the show had become a staple of the ABC television line-up. It had redefined the family sit-com, and it ventured into places that other family sit-coms did in the 1980s, namely the “very special episode.” Although the liner notes of the DVD has producer Elliot Shoenman brag about the writers coming with fresh ideas like Tim getting a vasectomy and Randy having a cancer scare, this sours the season a bit.
When will TV writers learn? We watch sit-coms to laugh, not to learn. We want slapstick comedy, not a heartfelt discussion of childhood cancer. Sigh... maybe I’m just in the minority of this.
Still, “Home Improvement” has improved over five seasons. There are still three more seasons to release on DVD, but from my perspective, things seem to be going in the right direction.
The DVD set contains three discs and all 26 episodes of season five. The only special feature, unfortunately, is a blooper reel from the season, which isn’t nearly as funny as some of the episodes.
Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Full frame (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
